Pretoria

Pretoria, the administrative capital of South Africa, is in Gauteng. Its wide avenues are lined with purple-flowered jacaranda trees and stately architecture. The city has many museums and art galleries, and a large student population that gives its centre a boisterous atmosphere.

Understand
Pretoria is part of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality.

History
The area known today as Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, with Pretoria (City) at its centre, is believed to have been occupied by the Sotho people for many centuries. During the 15th century the Ndebele people also migrated into the area and settled along the banks of the Apies River. Tshwane [tsʰwane] is the Setswana name of the Apies River. Around 1820 the Matabele under the leadership of Mzilikaza also entered the region, leading to local conflicts between the Matabele newcomers and the already established Sotho and Ndebele tribes as well as the European "Voortrekkers" who were steadily moving northward through the country. These conflicts came to an end when the Matabele were defeated by the "Voortrekkers" in 1837 at Mosega.

By 1855 there was no known tribe in what is known as the Pretoria area today. Only nomadic groups passed through this area, with one of the Setswana people (so it is alleged) led them. Pretoria was founded in 1855. The first capital of the Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek (South African Republic) was Ohrigstad, but the capital was moved to Pretoria. After the Second Boer War, the ZAR become Transvaal province, and Pretoria its capital. The city was named after Andries Pretorius, the Boer leader at the Battle of Blood River where the Voortrekkers defeated the Zulus under King Dingaan. In 1856 the area today known as Arcadia was acquired in exchange for a pony and added to the town.

In 1899, during the Second Boer War, Winston Churchill was captured and held as a POW in Pretoria until his eventual escape to Mozambique. British forces captured Pretoria in 1900 and held control over the city until the signing of the Treaty of Vereeniging in 1902.

When the Union of South Africa was established in 1910, Pretoria was elected the capital and is still the administrative capital of the Republic of South Africa today.

Climate
Pretoria is located in a summer rainfall area with hot days regularly followed by short and intense afternoon thunderstorms. The thunderstorms are often accompanied by lightning and occasionally result in hail. Summer temperatures range between 16°C at night to 30°C during the day, with occasionally higher temperatures (up to about 36°C). Winters are mild and dry with temperatures averaging between a minimum of 5°C and a maximum of 20°C. Winter nights and (occasionally winter days) can be surprisingly cold and buildings are generally not well insulated. Bring warm clothes if you're visiting during the winter months.

By car
Five highways join in the Gauteng region, making it accessible from all cities in the country. This would include the N1, N3, N4, N12 and N14 national highways.

Most National Routes (N) are toll roads. Open road tolling (e-toll) is available on the freeways around Johannesburg and Pretoria.

By plane
The closest international airport is O.R. Tambo International Airport in Johannesburg. The Albertina Sisulu Highway or R21 leads from there to Pretoria. Airport shuttles are available on the airport or can be booked:



By bus

 * Major bus companies like Apm, Citiliner, Greyhound, Translux, City to City, Intercape Mainliner offer connections to all big cities in South Africa.
 * there are also lots of bus lines that have buses to Zimbabwe.
 * Citiliner fare to Bulawayo is R410. The trip takes 15 hours.
 * Apm bus lines have a bus from Pretoria to Capetown every day at 16:00 with a fare of R450.
 * Intercape has a sleepliner bus from Pretoria to Knysna every day at 14:00 with a fare of R569.
 * Citiliner has a bus going to Mbombela every day at 09:00 with a fare of R200. The trip takes 6 hours.
 * Citiliner has a bus going to Kimberley every day at 09:45 with a fare of R275. The trip takes 8 hours.
 * Apm has a bus going to Durban every day at 10:30 with a fare of R220. The trip takes 9 hours.
 * The Baz Bus also stops in Pretoria.

By train
A convenient high-speed rail link, Gautrain, is available between Johannesburg, OR Tambo International Airport and Pretoria. Travellers can access this direct link from the arrivals hall in the airport building. Safe, comfortable Gautrain buses serve local routes from the different stops in Pretoria. The fare from International airport to pretoria is R164. There are frequent commuter trains from Johannesburg which cost R16.50 one way. Metrorail also services other outlying towns and many suburbs of Pretoria.

Long-distance trains from other parts of South Africa generally arrive in Johannesburg, however trains from Musina via Polokwane and from Komatipoort via Nelspruit call in Pretoria.



Get around
Although crime in South Africa is higher than in many other parts of the world, common sense precautions should prevent incidents. Be especially aware of your surroundings after dark and don't travel alone. Main shopping centres are reasonably safe.

Either use a metered taxi, rent a car or use the municipal bus service. There is also a very extensive network of informal, cheap minibus taxis, mostly used by local commuters. These taxis used to have a reputation for being unsafe, but this has greatly improved and most taxis are now relatively luxurious and not overcrowded, except during peak times. Accidents are rare. Ask locals waiting at taxi stops about routes and rates.

Walking is a good option during the day, but may be unsafe after dusk in certain areas, such as central Pretoria.


 * Hendrick Metered taxi and Shuttles, 0826742075, www.hendrickcabs.co.za
 * Uber. Uber is available in Pretoria, but there is a zone surrounding the Gautrain station where pickups and drop-offs are not permitted. The availability of Ubers is not as great as in Johannesburg, so you may encounter difficulties finding one at some of the more distant sights like the Voortrekker Monument.
 * Hendrick Metered taxi and Shuttles, 0826742075, www.hendrickcabs.co.za
 * Uber. Uber is available in Pretoria, but there is a zone surrounding the Gautrain station where pickups and drop-offs are not permitted. The availability of Ubers is not as great as in Johannesburg, so you may encounter difficulties finding one at some of the more distant sights like the Voortrekker Monument.
 * Uber. Uber is available in Pretoria, but there is a zone surrounding the Gautrain station where pickups and drop-offs are not permitted. The availability of Ubers is not as great as in Johannesburg, so you may encounter difficulties finding one at some of the more distant sights like the Voortrekker Monument.
 * Uber. Uber is available in Pretoria, but there is a zone surrounding the Gautrain station where pickups and drop-offs are not permitted. The availability of Ubers is not as great as in Johannesburg, so you may encounter difficulties finding one at some of the more distant sights like the Voortrekker Monument.
 * Uber. Uber is available in Pretoria, but there is a zone surrounding the Gautrain station where pickups and drop-offs are not permitted. The availability of Ubers is not as great as in Johannesburg, so you may encounter difficulties finding one at some of the more distant sights like the Voortrekker Monument.

Experiences




Sports

 * Rugby Union: Bulls play in the United Rugby Championship (formerly Pro14), the multi-national European professional league. The playing season is Oct-March, with home games at Loftus Versfeld Stadium (capacity 52,000) in the Arcadia district. Loftus Versfeld is also home to the Blue Bulls, a developmental side for the URC Bulls that plays in the domestic Currie Cup from January–June.
 * Cricket: Pretoria Capitals play in the southern town of Centurion, where they share the stadium with Titans.

Eat
The renowned restaurants include Cynthia's, the Hillside Tavern and Pachas. There are also many franchised diners throughout the city.

Mid-range

 * Toni's Pizza Toni's is a great place to get the best pizza in town.
 * Panarotti's Panarotti's is a national chain with several Pretoria branches.

Drink

 * Pretoria's nightlife is concentrated in Hatfield (near the university), which boasts a number of bars and night clubs. Menlyn Square (just off the Menlyn shopping centre) is also a popular location which contains several venues but caters for the more upmarket crowd.

Sleep
Being the capital, there are many posh hotels (including the Sheraton) and guest houses and all the usual hotel chains have one or more hotels. With so many hotels owned by the same chains, in particularly Tsogo Sun. Make sure you note the address when booking so you go to the right hotel. When Parliament is in session and when there are other state events it can be almost impossible to find a mid-range or splurge room. Consider nearby Centurion as an alternative if you have to be in Pretoria at those times.

Connect
Complete GSM coverage with GPRS, 3G, 4G, HSDPA and LTE is available almost everywhere.

Buy a local simcard (at airport, railway station, most major chain stores or mobile phone stores) for your overseas mobile phone. You will need your foreign ID or passport for registering your new sim card at the shop. Airtime and data bundles can be bought at most shops and fuel stations.

WiFi
Always-On, +27 (0)11 575-2505, provides prepaid WiFi access in a number of locations in and around Johannesburg. Simply connect to the access point and you will be given the opportunity to pay for access by credit card. Pricing starts at around R15 for 10 minutes or R60 for 100 MB.

Coverage areas include:



Stay safe
Pretoria is considered to be a relatively safe city by South African standards and violent crime against tourists is somewhat rare. That said, basic common sense should still be used. Ask locals before you do things. Life after sunset stops a bit and moves to the big shopping centers outside the city. Avoid walking around after dark, even in a group or at Union Buildings. The city centre becomes deserted after nightfall, so it would not be wise to hang around at these times. The shop owners will close their security blinds to protect their property so there is little to see. Hatfield Plaza and all other major shopping centers are busy with shoppers, students, tourists, police and car minders until approximately 22:00 there is very little chance of any real trouble happening, but it can be annoying and daunting for tourists as the beggars are quite insistent but occurs less in guarded shopping centers. That said, the Hatfield area is usually perfectly safe. Consider that you still have to move from the safe area to your hotel through an unsafe area. In case of trouble, here are important telephone numbers. Be especially vigilant at night by traffic lights and stop signs. Car-jacking and smash and grab thefts do occur.

From a fixed line

 * 107 - Emergency
 * 10111 - Police
 * 10177 - Ambulance
 * 082911 - Netcare911

From a mobile phone

 * 112 - Emergency
 * 911 - Netcare911

Go next



 * Irene is a small town to the south of Pretoria with a day spa and a dairy farm.
 * Mpumalanga Escarpment in a weekend
 * Kruger National Park in a (very long!) weekend
 * Soutpansberg, north, for lonely weekends in nature
 * Cradle of Humankind, with caves to view ancient caves, digging sites and skulls
 * Magaliesberg, a very old mountain range.
 * Rietvlei Nature Reserve, a small and quiet nature reserve with a number of wildlife species and lots of bird watching opportunities.
 * Visit Hartebeespoort Dam. There are hot air balloon rides over the savanna, a cable car, a golf course and watersport. Souvenir shops, shopping, and a snake farm are nearby.